REVIEW: ‘JAWS: The Musical!’ is silly fun (and sold out) at NYC Fringe
Photo: JAWS: The Musical! features Suzanne Stein, Natty Bumpercar and Wayne Henry. Photo courtesy of Catherine Tallman / Provided by Wayne Henry with permission.
NEW YORK — The New York City Fringe Festival is now entering its final week, and it’s pretty clear that the hot ticket of the entire fest is JAWS: The Musical!, a deliriously funny sendup of the classic Steven Spielberg blockbuster. As of this writing, tickets for the remainder of the run at the Chain Theatre in Midtown are sold out, and there’s a clear reason for those brisk sales. The hard-working cast sprint through one hour of comedic gags and bring to life the well-known story of Brody, Hooper and Quint, a trio of characters that decide to take on a human-eating shark. What’s not to love and admire?
This is the year of Jaws, after all, with the movie being celebrated around the world on its 50th anniversary, which comes with a whole suite of events in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where the original film was shot. This musical uses the movie — which itself uses Peter Benchley’s original book — as a blueprint, but this is not a strict adaptation by any means. Many specifics have changed, including the identity of the first victim and the addition of a love interest for the shark (yes, this reviewer just wrote that sentence).
In fact, the only traces of the original movie that are still present and accounted for is that central trio. In this version, Brody (Natty Bumpercar) is a sunglass-wearing police chief with an oddly southern accent, while Hooper (Wayne Henry) is an energetic scientist who comes off as a know-it-all. Quint (Suzanne Stein), perhaps the best character, is a salty fisherman with a few secrets up his sleeves (and beneath his galoshes).
The music by Henry, who also wrote the lyrics and book, is catchy, fun and fleeting, with several reprises that prove to be leitmotifs for certain characters. Mayor Vaughn (Evie Apple), for example, is the rootinest, tootinest politician in the world, full of dastardly deals and empty promises. Apple is great fun as the mayor, constantly posing for the audience and seemingly out of her element when it comes to the safety of the beachgoers on Amity Island. She deserves her time in the spotlight and also pulls double duty as a TV journalist.
Bumpercar, Henry and Stein are chummy old chums who play the jokes for maximum effect, and they each receive their time to shine. Stein portrays the character that demands the most, but it’s best to keep the details a secret.
A highlight amongst the cast is Kate Hoover as Sally, arguably the protagonist of the musical. She’s the one who faces such tremendous and hilarious loss in the opening sequence (“Gettin’ Out of the City” is the best number and sets things in motion), only to find love once again with, ahem, the shark, wonderfully played by Robbie Stevens Jr., who has an exquisite singing voice.
JAWS: The Musical! will not change the world, but the world seems to be a better place with this musical parody in it. One receives a definite DIY feeling when taking in this one hour of comedy, which features musical accompaniment by David Citron. The cast members, under the direction of Anthony Logan Cole, know to keep their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, and they utilize spirited costumes and basic props to enliven the narrative with just enough suggestion to picture an ocean, a boat and the community of Amity.
This is not a faithful adaptation, but a sendup that takes left turn after left turn, and somehow stills land on Amity Island.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
JAWS: The Musical!, written by Wayne Henry and directed by Anthony Logan Cole, continues at the Chain Theatre as part of the New York City Fringe Festival. As of this writing, all remaining tickets are sold out. Click here for more information.
